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Paul’s Secret to Changing the World - Part 05

… I
follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of
Christ Jesus — Philippians 3:12ff

Paul the apostle was one of the most influential,
impact-making, legacy-leaving people in all human history. His amazing work is
still paying rich dividends until today. How did he do it?

So
far, we have learned:

Principle
One: Grace
brings world-change;

Principle
Two: Righteousness
brings world-change - when you change into the righteous image of Christ, you
are then empowered to be an agent of change to the world.

Principle
Three: Knowing
Christ. Christ is such a powerful, singular figure that knowing Him brings
empowerment in return.

Principle Four: Taking
hold of Christ.

Let’s review the last step - which is the most important.
Philippians 3 tells us the secret: he let go of ‘everything’ in his life -
good, bad, and ugly - so he would be ‘hands free’ to take hold of Christ and
His purposes for Paul’s life. That’s what the above verse is about. The
principle of ‘apprehending’ is the Greek word katalambano, which means
to seize, apprehend, take hold, and win the prize. So to apprehend Christ and
His purpose for your life means you are partnering with the Lord Himself; He is
the senior and you are the junior partner. When that happens, things begin to
change, starting with you.

In this fifth and final article, let’s elaborate about ‘taking
hold/katalambano. Here are some Biblical examples:

The Patriarch Jacob: Jacob is a superlative example of katalambano. He had secretly
fled from his uncle Laban in order to return to the land of Canaan in Genesis
32. His wives, handmaidens, children, and all his possessions, were with him.
Soon, he had Laban on his back and a angry brother Esau in his face. Either
way, he face serious trouble, perhaps violence, from one or both of these men.
In desperation, he chose to wrestle with the Angel until the breaking of the
day. Such a contest of strength would have seemed more suitable to macho Esau,
the huntsman and ‘man’s man,’ than to a ‘sensitive new age guy,’ like Jacob.

Yet it was Jacob, not Esau, who demonstrated the greatest
strength of all. Despite the attempts of the Angel to shoo him away, Jacob sunk
his fingernails deeply. ‘I will not let you go until you bless me!’ he
declared. At one point, the Angel injured the hollow of Jacob’s thigh. Even in
pain, he continued to lay hold. At the end, the Angel had no choice but to
bless him. Part of the blessing was the changing of his name from Jacob, which
means ‘supplanter’ or ‘heal catcher,’ to Israel, ‘Prince of God.’ Jacob went
from ‘red-blood’ to ‘blue blood’ by taking hold of the King of kings and Lord
of Lords.

Hannah: The wife of
Elkanah, Hannah also demonstrated katalambano
or laying hold in I Samuel 1. Though married to a good man, she was miserable
due to her barrenness. Elkanah’s second wife was very fruitful in this area;
she was also very nasty. Her taunts and insults caused Hannah to fret to the
core of her being. In extreme anxiety, she went to the one and only place that
could answer her deep pain: The House of the Lord. In Hannah’s day, it was the
Tabernacle of Moses at Shiloh. So she entered into the sacred precincts, went
as far as she was allowed, and there she parked herself in prayer. Like Jacob,
Hannah was not going to let go until God blessed her … and He did. Unlike the
anonymous children of Elkanah’s second wife, Hannah’s son became the greatest
prophet Israel had seen since Moses. His name is Samuel or Shmu’el, ‘heard
from God.’ God’s best is worth the wait. Those who lay hold of Christ are
assured of answered prayer, no matter what the size of the request.

Practical Side

Like any teaching, there has to be a practical component
with the theoretical. Remember to apply verses 13-14 of Philippians 3. It tells
us:

1.Forget what is behind you. You cannot lay hold if you are always holding on to
old memories, both bad and good.

2.Reach out to what lies ahead. Be people who are future-minded and forward
looking.

Most importantly, you need to:

3.Press toward the mark of the prize of the high-calling of God in Christ
Jesus. Without this final step, you will not seal your victory. Focus on Christ
and His vision to the exclusion of all else and love God with all of your
being.

God has called us to nothing less than making a
difference in our world. This becomes gloriously possible when we relinquish
everything else and let Christ be our sole — and soul— focus.

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Kameel Majdali

Born isn Los Angeles to Arab-American parents, I was raise without religion or faith. In my mid teens I came to faith in Christ and so my journey began. I encountered the Middle East at 21 and made my move their for a visit to celebrate a cousins wedding and so I then moved to Jerusalem where I married and was ordained in the ministry.